Invited commentary: missing doses in the life span study of Japanese atomic bomb survivors

Am J Epidemiol. 2013 Mar 15;177(6):569-73. doi: 10.1093/aje/kws474. Epub 2013 Feb 20.

Abstract

The Life Span Study is a long-term epidemiologic cohort study of survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. In this issue of the Journal, Richardson et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2013;177(6):562-568) suggest that those who died in the earliest years of follow-up were more likely to have a missing dose of radiation exposure assigned, leading to a bias in the radiation risk estimates. We show that nearly all members of the cohort had shielding information recorded before the beginning of follow-up and that much of the alleged bias that Richardson et al. describe simply reflects the geographic distribution of shielding conditions for which reliable dosimetry was impossible.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / mortality*
  • Nuclear Weapons*
  • Radiation Dosage*
  • Survivors*